France – Business: Your business has been impacted by the June-July social upheavals? Here are some of the things that the Government is doing to support you.
The French government unveiled a series of measures to support small and medium sized businesses that have been impacted by the June/July 2023 social unrest across the country.
The measures that you may benefit from
If your business has been impacted, you may do one or several of the following:
- Request an extension of time to pay past due payroll tax, VAT and income tax liabilities. You may also file an extension of time to pay the upcoming tax installment.
- Request the forgiveness of your payroll tax, VAT and income tax liabilities. Be prepared to provide financial information to show how the payment of your tax debt prevents you from meeting basic, reasonable living expenses. The administrations will evaluate your economic hardship claim and decide on a case-by-case basis.
- Request the reduction of your income tax withholding rate. This assumes that you’re subject to French individual income tax.
- Contact your local “conseiller départemental aux entreprises en difficulté » for personalized support and to get answers to many of your questions.
- Keep offering discounts and making other promotional offers to entice customers and to increase your sales between July 25, 2023 and August 1st, 2023. This is an extra week offered compared to the initial summer sales period. To take advantage of this extended sales period, your business must be located in continental France.
Bank financing and damage claim: here is what you should expect.
If your business has been impacted by the riots, we encourage you to file a claim for damage or loss of revenue as soon as possible with your insurer. If your insurance company is a member of France Assurances, you have 35 days from the day you became aware of the damage to file a claim. In normal circumstances, you’d have had 5 days to act.
Your insurer’s commitment to the Government is to process your claim and to compensate you as soon as possible and to reduce the deductible to the lowest amount possible.
Your bank will be as flexible as possible regarding your loan repayment and other installments.
The steps that you should take.
You should file a complaint as soon as possible at pre-plainte-en-ligne.gouv.fr. On this website, you can file a claim for property damage including thefts, damages, scams caused by someone who you cannot identify.
Under the provisions of insurance contracts, you generally have 5 days from the day you become aware of the damage to file an insurance claim. Exceptionally, your insurance company may accept a claim that you file 35 days from the date you become aware of the damage.
France experienced 8 days of social unrest between the end of June 2023 and the beginning of July 2023. Riots were reported in 553 municipalities across the country. Thousands of vehicles were destroyed, and hundreds of businesses looted and ransacked. Public properties such as schools, town halls and tax administration branches have been burnt or destroyed.